


LoveGame

by Minew



Category: SHINee
Genre: Alcohol, College!AU, F/M, GIRLee, Genderswitch, One Night Stands, Romance, Sexual Content, Smut, fluff-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 03:00:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10067501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minew/pseuds/Minew
Summary: Gwiboon is on the look-out for a one-night-stand when she spots him in the club but she isn't expecting her one-night-stand to turn into something more.





	

When Gwiboon spots him over her cocktail she is certain that he's leaving with her tonight. He doesn't spot her, too invested in his friends. But Gwiboon wants him and that's all she needs to know. She gets off her chair and hurries into the bathroom on her 6-inch heels so she can fix her make-up and hair in the mirror. She knows she's getting looks from the other women, she can almost feel the slurs burning on her back where their gazes land as she deliberately pulls down her dress to show more of her cleavage and puts on her dark red lipstick. She looks amazing. There is no way he can resist her if she plays her game right and Gwiboon has been playing for years. This is not the first time she's been doing this and she always gets what she wants. 

As she leaves the lit bathroom it takes her eyes a few seconds to get used to the dim lighting in the club but soon enough she has her eyes on her catch for tonight. Their small group of people seems tight-knit but Gwiboon is sure she can get him anyway. 

She walks up to them in a confident stride and sends him a one-over, makes sure he catches her eyes and that there's no doubt about what she wants. But Gwiboon is a classy lady and she likes the game, she likes teasing. As brash and straightforward as she is on a daily basis, it all disappears in the club when she wants something. She dislikes getting what she want if it doesn't involve some kind of game, a hunt. Gwiboon is an excellent hunter. 

The man shivers and the two girls scoot closer together to make place for Gwiboon. She sends the man beside her a smile and introduces herself over the loud music. 

The man beside her is named Jonghyun. Jonghyun isn't that tall but he's charming, even when he's shy and Gwiboon is sure that he's been dragged to the club by his friends. He doesn't come here often. The tallest of the women is called Minjung. Minjung likes soccer and clubbing but she's not here to flirt with either of the two men in their small group. Minjung is not a threat. The smaller of the women is named Taeyeon. Taeyeon is beautiful, sneaky and looks like she could get anything she wants. Jonghyun and Minjung call her the devil and tell Gwiboon that looks can be deceiving. 

But the man Gwiboon wants is Jinki. Jinki has a wide, soft smile, his handsome looks complimenting his stance. He seems innocent but the glint in his eyes tells her that he knows what she wants and that she's not going to get it easily. Just how she likes it. Gwiboon steals Jonghyun’s beer and he protests but she's far too gone in her game to really care about it. Gwiboon only does it for the look in Jinki’s eyes. He sends her a smile and turns to converse with Taeyeon and Gwiboon sends them a stern glance. 

So she does what she does best; she leans over the table to gently place her hand on Jinki’s wrist to gain his attention, making sure the view to her cleavage is the best. It leaves them wanting more. It's never enough to just look at Gwiboon’s D-cups, men always want more as soon as they have gotten the look. Far too much exposure for a woman but not enough for a man. He raises an eyebrow in question and Gwiboon sends him a cute smile before she grabs his beer too and takes a swig, making sure he focuses on the way she lets the liquid into her mouth. 

When she puts it back down she notices how he gulps. Jonghyun is chattering away, but Gwiboon isn't listening. She turns towards Minjung so she can seem engaged in the conversation and completely ignore Jinki anyway. It's the game. A little contact and then withdrawing. Taeyeon orders a drink with ice cubes and not long after has she sucked an ice cube into her mouth and is leaning over the table to kiss Jonghyun and transfer the ice cube to him. Jonghyun looks around at them with the ice cube in his mouth and Gwiboon takes it upon her to receive the ice cube from the man.

Jonghyun seems pleased when he finally gives it to Gwiboon in a kiss and Gwiboon makes sure Jinki is looking in her peripheral view. To make things worse she leans over Jonghyun, hands on Minjung's shoulder and dress slowly crawling up over her ass as she lets her lips meet the other woman's, her tongue gently pushing to let the ice cube into her mouth. Gwiboon makes a show out of transferring the ice cube to the woman and when she finally lets go and sits down in her seat beside Jonghyun, she sends Jinki the cutest, most innocent smile she can. It's obvious that he doesn't believe her one inch but Gwiboon wants it just like that. 

Taeyeon gets the ice cube again from Minjung and transfers it to Jinki who then leans over the table, goes for Gwiboon and then at the last breath presses his lips to Jonghyun’s with a gaze that says he's playing the same game. Jonghyun transfers it to Taeyeon who stands to transfer it before it melts completely. Gwiboon catches her eyes and leans over so she can get what's left of it before she turns to Jinki and presses their lips together, the small of the ice cube the excuse when she licks into his mouth. 

When she lets go she does so reluctantly with the promise of more if he deserves it. Jinki almost unconsciously follows her lips the split second they part and Gwiboon revels in that. It's good if she can make him come back for more. On the other hand, Gwiboon knows she can. She sits down beside Jonghyun again and adjusts her dress. It makes her look conscious of how she looks and how much she's been showing but Gwiboon is not worried about how much Jinki has actually seen because she knows he'll never see enough. Her dress is her friend, not her enemy. 

When Jonghyun needs to go to the bathroom Jinki sinks into the seat beside Gwiboon and presses her up against himself and Minjung. It has Gwiboon smirking. She gently slides her hand onto his knee and lets it rest there. Minjung sends them a gaze that says everything but doesn't say anything out loud. Gwiboon just turns to Taeyeon and pretends she's listening to what the girl is saying even though she's hyper aware of the hand Jinki has slid around her waist. Gwiboon wants to gain control so she slides her hand up his thigh and makes sure that it never really reaches anything. His hand slides down her waist and rests on her hip instead. 

Jonghyun comes back and raises an eyebrow and makes an inappropriate comment that has Minjung snorting with laughter. Gwiboon just sends him a naïve smile as if she isn't aware of her game with Jinki. It must be obvious to the club what's going on but few people really care. 

A song plays as Taeyeon announces that she wants to dance and she punches Jonghyun lightly so she can drag Gwiboon with her. She's excited to have someone to dance with because neither Minjung or Jonghyun dances and Jinki is apparently still too sober to dance with her. Taeyeon transforms on the dance floor and Gwiboon enjoys it. Not only is it fun dancing with Taeyeon, but Taeyeon doesn't mind it when Gwiboon feels her up. Gwiboon gets eye contact with Jinki and notices how he gently rearranges himself. Jackpot. She grabs Taeyeon's hand and drags her back to the table when she starts feeling thirsty. 

Gwiboon plops into Jinki's lap and places her hand around his neck and shoulder and uses the other to get his beer and take a swig. Jinki automatically lets his hand rest on her hip and she feels it slowly trail towards her inner thigh. She doesn't say anything, just lets him do what he must while she drinks the rest of his beer. A hot breath on her neck sends shivers down her spine and she looks towards him, only to see that he's incredibly close to her neck and his lips are hovering just over her skin. It takes everything Gwiboon has to shift herself and not kiss him breathless right there. 

Jinki’s grip on her hip only turns stronger with the motion and when Gwiboon can't hold back anymore she turns around in his hold to press their lips together for the first time after the ice cube game. The kiss is hungry and his hand is wandering on her hip, slowly trailing up and down to make sure she knows that he wants it under her clothes. Gwiboon smiles into the kiss. 

Jinki is a great kisser. He knows exactly how to work her and Gwiboon can't help it when she melts a little. This is better than anything that she has gotten before. The game is about to culminate when she extracts herself to suggest they leave the club when someone pats her hair. 

She has to look around and the smug grin on Jonghyun’s lips tell her that everybody around them knows what's about to happen. Gwiboon doesn't care. 

“We're leaving,” Jonghyun says. Technically he addresses Jinki as Gwiboon is only an addition to their group for the night but Jinki just nods. He takes a quick look at Taeyeon who looks shitfaced and smiles. 

“Take care of her,” he shouts over the loud music and Jonghyun nods. Minjung leaves the booth with a lewd gesture that has both Gwiboon and Jinki roll their eyes at her. Their response has Gwiboon laughing as she leans into Jinki and he secures his hands around her once again. His mouth trail kisses on her neck towards her jawline and when he finally reaches her ear, Gwiboon is more than ready to leave the club too. 

“Where were we?” he whispers and Gwiboon is sold. She turns around in his hold again so she can grab his cheeks and force his head from her neck. Their lips crash together once again and this time she's in control. She knows how to angle his face so he moans into her lips and she knows how to move her hips to elicit the lewdest of groans. It has her internally smirking while she becomes breathless against his lips, their tongues playing a love game that is going to end in the best one night stand Gwiboon has ever had. At least that's what she's pretty convinced of. She lets go of his lips to tangle her fingers in his hair and mouth at his jawline. 

“My place or your place?” she whispers, the music doesn't feel that loud anymore. Jinki doesn't say anything but he gets up and steadies her before she slides off his lap and onto the floor. He silently grabs his coat and gently puts it around her shoulders before he guides her out of the club and onto the street. Gwiboon grabs his hand and revels in the warmth as she shivers in her dress. 

Jinki only drags the coat more around her to make sure she isn't too cold. Gwiboon still doesn't know whether or not they're going to her place when Jinki hails a cab but as he gives the driver an address she has to assume that they're going to his place. At least he's a gentleman, even with all the teasing. In the heat of the cab, Gwiboon lets her hand slide onto his thigh again and this time lets it crawl so close that she can almost hear the sharp intake of breath from the man beside her. Jinki turns towards her so he can drag the coat a little over her side as his hand glides up her side under it and cups her breast, finally getting to touch what has been off-limits all night as they were teasing. 

Gwiboon catches the cab-driver's look in the rear view mirror and giggles before she's shut up by a kiss. She forgets they're even in the cab as the kiss deepens and the lust starts filling her again. It isn't until the cab driver clears his throat that the two on the back seat realizes they're there and the car is holding still. Jinki sends her a smirk as she climbs out and he pays. It's not that Gwiboon doesn't have enough money to pay but she likes playing hard to get. Even if they're practically almost fucking.

Jinki holds the door for her but smacks her ass as she passes and she giggles a little as they head towards the elevator. They barely get into the elevator before Jinki presses her up against the wall and their lips are molding together again. His hands are wandering up and down her sides restlessly as if they don't know what to touch first and Gwiboon fists his hair and presses him closer, closer, closer until he can't get any closer and their tongues are dancing a heated dance. 

They don't care about the ding as the elevator door opens and Gwiboon slams her hand out towards the display so she can hit the ‘close door’ button again. Jinki is mouthing on her jawline as the door slides closed again, leaving the two in their heated dance. She lets her thigh drag in between his legs and lets her thigh gently press against his erection, eliciting a lewd moan and she smirks, only to be caught off guard when he sucks a hickey into the area above her left collarbone and her breathing becomes labored. 

The door opens again when someone gets on the elevator and Jinki has to extract himself from her quickly before they catch his hand that has crawled under her dress and she can't help the chuckle that escapes her. They both look disheveled as they step out of the elevator so they don't have to ride down. While Jinki looks for his key, Gwiboon is sucking marks onto his neck from behind, her fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt. He growls when he fumbles with the lock and Gwiboon presses even closer, distracting him from opening his front door as much as possible. 

When they finally stumble inside, Jinki has her pressed against the hallway wall, sucking into her lower lip and hands fumbling with the zipper of her dress. Gwiboon tries to get out of her shoes but Jinki stops her with a hand on her hips and she cocks an eyebrow. Kinky. 

She sheds his coat onto the floor and lets his hands slide over her ass. He lifts her gently and Gwiboon crosses her ankles around him, steadying herself with hands on his shoulder as he carries her into the kitchen. Gwiboon had been expecting something else, a bed or a couch but she doesn't care. They can continue on the kitchen counter. She doesn't let go of him when he puts her down on the counter even though he tries to get free. She doesn't want to stop now. 

Jinki curses as she starts unbuttoning his shirt completely and when she finally lets it slide over his shoulders and reveals his torso she feels a shiver down her spine. This is what she has been looking forward to all night. He lets go of her quickly so he can throw the shirt to the ground before he continues fumbling with her zipper. 

When it finally gives away and slides down he almost growls in success and Gwiboon feels the heat start pooling in her lower abdomen. Jinki grabs her now naked waist and lets his fingers feel her up as the goosebumps raise on her skin. Her red lace bra is cupping her breasts and the look in Jinki’s eyes turn sultry. She lets him fumble with the bra clasps until he makes an annoyed sigh and she gets impatient as he just cups her left breast outside the bra. Hell no. She's not going to have half-assed sex because he can't unhook her bra in his lust. 

She reaches behind her to unhook her bra herself so she can shed it onto the floor and Jinki hums appreciatively. It's nothing against the sound Gwiboon makes when he finally takes her breasts in her hands and starts fondling them. 

It starts out soft until he realizes that he can elicit higher moans when he's rough and she hooks her hands around his neck and presses him closer. Gwiboon moans when Jinki presses kisses down her neck to her collarbone and further down and when he sucks on her nipple she leans back to give access. She can feel the smile on his lips as his tongue traces circles around her nipple while his thumb does the same. 

“Fuck,” she says and bites into her lower lip as he gently bites into her breasts. He lets go and captures her lips in another hungry kiss and Gwiboon obliges as she tangles her fingers in his hair once again and makes sure they're as close as they possibly can be. She can feel the room heating up and her arousal pooling in her abdomen. 

She cups him and he groans and thrusts forward in her hands. Gwiboon trails kisses down his neck and gently massages his dick inside his pants, his erection definitely strained against the fabric but Gwiboon doesn't intend on setting it free just yet. She lets her hand trail down his naked chest so she can pinch his nipple gently only to see how he thrusts forward against her hand. 

He's sensitive and Gwiboon enjoys it as she blows cold air onto his hot skin, raising goosebumps. 

When he gets too much of her teasing he lifts her without warning and carries her into the bedroom. Her dress is lost somewhere from the kitchen to the bedroom as he lays her on the bed and crawls over her. Gwiboon locks her ankles above his lower back, the heels of her stilettos making small red marks on his back and he hisses but does nothing to remove them. She assumes he likes it like that. He starts trailing kisses down her chest again when Gwiboon places her hands on his chest and pushes him a little away. 

He looks at her with confusion, eyes questioning her consent and she smirks before she pushes him off of her, only to crawl over him when he's on his back. She sits on her knees and lets her hands trail down his chest. Jinki sends her a smirk as she dips her head towards his crotch. His erection is still strained in his jeans, the outline visible to her eyes, even the darkness of the bedroom. She cups him and squeezes before she lets go and crawls towards his face again. 

“I want to see you,” she whispers. Jinki automatically misinterprets her words and starts unbuckling his jeans until Gwiboon puts a hand on his and removes it from his jeans. “No. Can we have the lights on?” He looks at her with a confused expression but still claps once and the light turns on.

Gwiboon blinks a couple of times before she gets used to the light and watches Jinki in all his glory. His chest is sweaty and she lets a finger run down, observes how her nail creates goosebumps in its wake and she smiles smugly as she leans closer so she can press a kiss to his pecs, only to smear the last of her lipstick over his tan skin. God, he's beautiful. He breathes deeply and she feels his hands roam over her skin. 

“Fuck, you're beautiful,” he breathes out and Gwiboon giggles. Their lips meet in an agreement for a short second until he groans as her naked thigh presses into his erection. She smirks as she sinks back, her face above his crotch once again. She gently lets a manicured nail run along the outline and he hisses. When she finally opens his jeans, she isn't disappointed at the size. Frankly speaking, Gwiboon doesn't usually care about the size but she's not one to say no to a size that is more than satisfying. 

Jinki curses as she takes her time getting out of his jeans and boxers and when he’s finally free and his erection is standing proud in the air does she curse too. She wraps her hand around it and the moan the action elicits has her directly dipping down, tongue lapping pre-cum as if she was a kitten licking milk. Jinki moans again and Gwiboon sinks her mouth over the tip. She's sucking lightly, testing out waters based on his reactions. What feels good and what doesn't. She wants him to be putty in her hands and she only gets that if she does what she's best at in a way that satisfy him. 

Jinki curses and begs her to stop teasing as she finally sinks her mouth and takes him as far as she can. She's going to deep throat and gag if she's going to take him fully but she's not there yet. He can't have all the goods to begin with. Gwiboon wants what she wants and she isn't going to give before she has taken. His breathing is heavy when she lets go of him and wraps her fingers tight around the base. 

“No cumming yet,” she whispers and places a kiss on his inner thigh. Jinki flaps a hand in the general direction of the nightstand and Gwiboon raises an eyebrow in question. His hands is gripping her hips tight and he's leaving nail dents and red marks in her skin but Gwiboon doesn't mind. When Jinki finally gets into the nightstand he produces a condom and a cock ring. Gwiboon takes a double take. She has never met a man who owns toys, let alone this. She's about to ask when he just presses it into her hands and leans up to suck into her collarbone and she forgets. It doesn't matter where he got it from. Slowly she places it on his dick and the afterwards trails the condom over with her mouth. 

Jinki groans again at the feeling of being restrained but it's definitely a positive groan. Then he flips their positions and tugs at the waistband of her g-string. She sighs content and reaches towards him so she can grip his biceps. Jinki is having none of that, however. He lets a finger follow the fabric and watches as it gets even more wet. He sends her a smirk that looks like he's feeling proud of how wet she is, but really, Gwiboon doesn't find it that big of an accomplishment considering how far they already are. Jinki lets his finger follow her folds, the fabric still restricting the actual friction between his and her skin and she groans in frustration. 

“Come on,” she says frustrated and grips his shoulders to force him to finally give her a little satisfaction. Jinki isn't having any of that, however. He forces the fabric to the side and blows cold air onto her clit and Gwiboon tightens her grip on his shoulders. “Fuck,” she curses and Jinki sends her a smirk she dislikes. When he finally places his thumb on her clit and gently, slowly presses into it, Gwiboon hisses with approval. Jinki takes it as a sign to slow down even more and Gwiboon whines and presses up into his finger for just a little bit of friction. 

When he lets go Gwiboon curses at him, only to feel her underwear trail down her thighs and off of her. She doesn't expect it when she feels his wet tongue on her clit but she is not unhappy in any way as she grinds down and moans loudly at the same time. Jinki continues eating her out, his tongue lapping against her and circling her clit in the most intoxicating way and Gwiboon is almost cumming when he slips a finger inside of her and lets go with his mouth. He just rests his finger inside of her, her juices wetting it as she tries to will the fire in her body down. She doesn't want to come just yet when he's restrained. Jinki seems to appreciate that sentiment. 

He leans over her, his nose slick with her juices and his lips deliciously wet and she leans up and kisses him, tastes herself. Jinki slips in another finger as they kiss. She has to let go of his lips to slip out the moan. And then suddenly he slips his fingers out of her as easy as they had slipped in. Gwiboon whines with the loss of contact and grabs his hand so she at least can lewdly lick herself off of fingers. 

Jinki groans at the sight but let's her lick at his fingers until they're clean. Gwiboon is sitting on her knees in front of Jinki when she lets go of them and Jinki's chest is heaving with the sight. She knows what she wants just in that moment. She gently pushes him onto his back and climbs over him. She sits down right in front of his erection, her juices slicking up his lower abdomen and leans over him to peck his lips. 

“Can I ride you?” she whispers in a question. Jinki nods. Gwiboon presses back against his erection before she lifts herself slightly, only to sink onto his covered dick. They both moan in pressure at the feeling. Gwiboon sets a slow pace at first, Jinki's hands on her hips to hold her steady while she bounces up and down, gets used to his size. She places her hands on his shoulders and leans closer to him and Jinki lets go with one hand to cup her breast. He squeezes and creates dents in her skin and Gwiboon moans again, the pleasure sending shivers through her body. 

The faster her pace becomes, the more tired her thigh muscles becomes and she's panting with pleasure and exertion when Jinki flips them again and pulls her to the edge of the bed so he can slam into her from behind. Gwiboon moans and spreads her legs as much as she possibly can and Jinki takes hold of them to help her, bending her almost in half when he leans over her to kiss her chest and what skin he can get his lips on. 

Gwiboon is panting and the sweat is trailing over his naked form and she has to close her eyes, just to focus on the immense pleasure. Jinki's thrusts turn erratic and Gwiboon opens her eyes again, just to see him almost at his peak but restrained by the toy. She lets her nails scrape down his chest to get his attention and he looks up. She sends him a smile and guides him over her, their position turning into the missionary as he keeps thrusting erratically. Gwiboon loves it. She loves the way his lips crash onto hers, desperately begging for release and the way his body spasm under her every time she drags her nails over sensitive skin. She doesn't want to give him his pleasure before she has reached hers, though. Jinki pulls out of her when she asks him to in a whisper, pants and moans high and Gwiboon crawls over him. 

“Can I sit on your face?” she whispers against his ears and sends shivers down his spine. He doesn't even care with an answer, just shifts her position and lets his tongue gently over her slick folds. Gwiboon moans high and has to grab his thighs so as to not fall over. She's facing his dick but the pleasure his tongue sends through her body has her seeing stars and she can feel the build-up in her lower abdomen. She barely gets to say anything as Jinki slips three fingers in and starts lightly napping at her folds while circling her clit. 

Gwiboon swears profanities as she cums and she grips his thighs so hard that she draws a little blood as she sees white and her orgasm shakes her. She closes her eyes and slips off of him, her chest heaving while she comes down. Jinki is still panting heavily and Gwiboon decides it's time to let him orgasm as well. She crawls onto all four and removes the condom. Jinki moans at even the slightest of touch. She sinks her mouth over the head and sucks a couple of times until Jinki whines almost in pain. 

When she finally removes the cock ring, she's still sucking his dick and it doesn't take more than a couple of seconds before she's swallowing down his cum. As she lets go with a pop after he is done, she puts the toy on the nightstand and turns to look at him with a fond gaze. She doesn't know where it comes from, he's a one night stand and nothing more, but the sight of him still makes her smile. 

Jinki has his eyes closed as he's coming down from his high and Gwiboon gets off the bed, heels loud of the wooden floor as she goes to find her g-string. Jinki reaches out towards her and grabs her wrist and pulls her to sit on the bed. She sends him a questioning gaze and he sends her a lazy smile. 

“No shoes in the bed,” he says in a raspy whisper that has Gwiboon laughing loud and boisterous. Jinki sends her a cute smile and she reaches down to take off her shoes and sinks under the covers naked with her one night stand. She falls asleep easily when Jinki claps twice to turn off the light.

 

xxx 

 

She has forgotten where she is the next morning and the first thing that confuses her is that it isn't her two puppies that wake her up but instead the scent of breakfast. It has her insides turning and she realizes she drank far too much yesterday if her hangover is this bad. She then notices that she's naked and frowns. She sleeps naked at home but she's clearly not at home so sleeping naked is weird. Then she remembers she had a one night stand and groans. 

She should have left yesterday, not slept here. Waking up to a one night stand is awkward and it's even worse with a headache. It doesn't make it any better that it seems that her one night stand – Jinwoo? Jin? Jinki? – has been cooking breakfast. It's the recipe for disaster. She sighs and buries under the covers, hopes that she can disappear or that the other will go to work or take a shower or something like that so she can do the walk of shame home without actually running into her one night stand. 

She hears water running and hurriedly gets out of bed, snatches her g-string and then looks around for her clothes but only finds her shoes. Great. It must be somewhere else. Somewhere that is not his bedroom and will make it five times more awkward. Gwiboon sighs and prepares herself to face a one night stand that is less charming than he was the night before. But she supposes she isn't as charming either so she can't really fault him for that. On the other hand, drunk Gwiboon usually has a very horrible taste in men compared to sober Gwiboon so Gwiboon isn't really looking forward to meeting this one. 

She shelters her breast with her arm and walks out into the living room. A man enters from the kitchen, squeaks and turns around so he doesn't have to look at her. Gwiboon looks down at herself. A little dent here and there and a hickey she can only see half of but it's not that bad. She's been looking worse. The man asks her to please wear one of his t-shirts and then disappears into the kitchen again. 

Gwiboon frowns and follows him into the kitchen, no more dressed than she was when she left the bedroom. He turns around and quickly covers his eyes with a curse before he storms past her and somewhere else. Gwiboon looks around in the kitchen, spots the breakfast and then spots her bra on the floor. She really needs to take better care of where she throws her clothes when she has one night stands, her underwear is too expensive to lay on kitchen floors. She’s arranging her breasts in the bra when the man enters the kitchen again, this time with a large, grey t-shirt. 

He hands it to Gwiboon without looking at her and she frowns when she takes it on. There's a logo from a garage and the name Lee Jinki on it. Jinki it was. She shrugs. Okay then, if he doesn't want to look at her naked then she supposes there's nothing to do. If he finds her that ugly, then he's at loss because the more she looks at him, the more she acknowledges her own judgment yesterday night. He's good-looking, not a model but definitely not ugly. Sort of neighbor-next-door handsome, except Gwiboon has never had a neighbor that looked this good. He's charming. 

“Can I borrow the shower?” She might as well use it and have him pay for the water when she's here. She doesn't in her wildest fantasy expect him to actually ask her to join him for breakfast. So she does a double take when that is exactly what he does. He sighs and shakes his head slightly before he grabs her shoulders and forces her onto a chair and gives her a plate with breakfast. Gwiboon feels her inside turn again. Jinki seems to know however and sends her a smile. 

“You will feel better if you eat, so eat. You don't have to eat everything.” Gwiboon sends him a skeptic glance but doesn't say anything as she takes a bite of her sandwich. True to his words, she does feel better and she sends him another look. 

“How did you know?” she asks and he laughs. Gwiboon takes herself in thinking he has a nice laugh and then stops herself. Nothing good ever comes out of a one night stand. She has to leave and just forget him. That's what she has done with all the other one night stands over the years. She can eat the breakfast, though, she decides as she takes another bite. Jinki is eating grapes and as Gwiboon reaches over to steal a few their fingers meet and Jinki pulls back. 

Gwiboon feels strangely shy. She convinces herself it's because she's eating breakfast with her one night stand. That would definitely make everyone feel shy, right? 

Gwiboon doesn't finish all of her breakfast but Jinki doesn't seem offended. She finds her dress in the living room, halfway shoved under the couch and pulls it out. She walks towards what looks like the bathroom because she really does want to take a shower if it means that she doesn't have to do the walk of shame. And now that she's here, she may actually be able to make herself look somewhat presentable, even if her clothes speak of a night out. She doesn't get to enter the door before Jinki blurts out an ‘my name is Jinki.’ Gwiboon turns around to look at him and sends him a fond smile. 

“Your shirt says so,” she says and points to the name that adorns her left breast. He flushes a little and bows his head in apology. Gwiboon finds it oddly endearing. “My name is Gwiboon.” She doesn't know if he's forgotten but at least now he knows. She doesn't really know what he's going to use the information for but it doesn't really seem to matter. 

Gwiboon leaves after her shower and doesn't feel that down despite a slight headache that still reminds of her yesterday's wild night. It isn't until she enters her own apartment and is treated by her puppies that she realizes that her hair smells of him. She groans when her stomach does a flip it definitely shouldn't be doing. 

 

xxx

 

“Are you sure you should go out again?” Soyu asks and Minwoo nods. Gwiboon frowns. What's wrong with going out? She doesn't even get to ask the question before Minwoo answers her silent question.

“You're partying every weekend, Boon.” Gwiboon sighs. She is. But it's only because she's so bored otherwise and she really, really, really needs a drink or five tonight because her one night stand – Jin-something – has been on her mind all week and he's almost gone. Going out and drinking will have her forget him completely and it'll be just what she needs so she can come back and focus on her studies. In all fairness, Gwiboon thinks, it's best for everybody if she goes partying tonight. She doesn't tell her friends about her thoughts but she does tell them that it's not their business and that she'll be fine. She just needs a drink or two. She won't get drunk. 

And that is the intention when Gwiboon hits the first club. To not get drunk. She orders a beer at the bar and flirts a little with the bartender. She flirts a little with a couple of guys who all orders her another drink and a couple of shots and suddenly Gwiboon is a little more than tipsy. She's sitting on a chair at the bar nursing a beer when she spots a slender girl in the crowd that she recognizes. Gwiboon isn't sure what has her stumbling after the girl but the other girl doesn't recognize her when Gwiboon taps her shoulder and sends her a blinding smile. She should've expected it. Why would she recognize Gwiboon when all they shared was a drunken evening in her attempt to score Jin-something. But Gwiboon feels a little bummed anyway. 

Taeyeon is too drunk to care about who she's with though and Gwiboon has to grab the giggling girl’s hand to pull her away from a drunk guy that looks like a predator. It's not that Gwiboon doubts that Taeyeon can stand on her own but she'd rather not be responsible if something happened. Gwiboon knows she's only really going to be dealing with her own guilt but that is enough for her to make sure that she's clinging to Taeyeon, making sure the other girl isn't doing anything stupid. 

Taeyeon gets too much around 2 in the morning and when she vomits into the trash can outside the club, Gwiboon figures she needs to send her home somehow. But she doesn't know Taeyeon's address and she doesn't trust the other girl to find her way home so instead she reaches into Taeyeon's purse and finds her phone. She cannot call 119 for this but the passcode on Taeyeon's phone is limiting her options. 

“Taeyeon, what is your passcode?” Gwiboon asks and Taeyeon murmurs 6 numbers Gwiboon barely catches. 

When she's finally in her contacts, Taeyeon is leaning over the trash can, vomiting the alcohol up. Gwiboon scrolls through the contacts until she finds the only one she really wants to call. The voice that picks up is raspy and tired and annoyed. 

“Tae?” it says and Gwiboon hesitates for a second before she mans up. 

“No, it's Gwiboon.” She's positive he doesn't remember her. “Taeyeon is currently vomiting and I need you to pick her up. I don't know her address and I don't think sending her home in a cab is a good idea.” He asks for the club and tells them he'll be there in 10 minutes. When Gwiboon hangs up, Taeyeon is slumping on the pavement. Gwiboon sits down beside her and lets her rest her head on her shoulder. 

Taeyeon is fast asleep when Jinki arrives. He takes one look at the two girls and Gwiboon's feels her stomach flip when she gets eye contact with him. This wasn't supposed to happen. He gets out of the car and lifts Taeyeon up gently, letting her sleep in the backseat before he turns to Gwiboon. 

“Let me drive you home too,” he says and Gwiboon shakes her head instantly. A little too quickly, if she has to be completely honest with herself. The cold is starting to soak through her clothes and she's definitely not as drunk as she was before she found Taeyeon and decided to take care of her, but she can't get a lift of Jinki. He yawns. “Yeah, let me. I have to get to the other side of town anyway so we're probably going to pass your apartment. As a thank you for taking care of her.” He points into the car and Gwiboon finds herself reluctantly on the passenger seat when Jinki starts the car and drives off. 

The two of them doesn't talk much while they're driving. He thanks her again for taking care of Taeyeon and for calling him when he arrives at her shared apartment and scolds Minjung and Jonghyun for not taking better care of the younger girl. 

When they sit in the car again they get eye contact and Gwiboon doesn't know if it's the alcohol or the thoughts in the last week that kick in when she leans over the middle and kisses him. She lets go as soon as she realizes what she's doing and apologizes. It was inappropriate. Very much so. Jinki just looks at her. 

“Fuck it,” he says before he leans over and crashes their lips together. Gwiboon reacts instantly, her fingers tangle in his soft hair and it feels like they belong there. Their tongues dance in the kiss, the action rushed and crazy and spontaneous and Gwiboon has never had a one night stand sober but Jinki is so tempting. She lets her hands run down his chest and Jinki accidentally touches the horn. 

The sound surprises both of them and Gwiboon laughs out loud before she leans closer again and kisses his smiling lips. The heat that travels through her body as they kiss is wonderful and horrible and Gwiboon doesn't know what to make of it but when he scoots his seat as far back as he can and she climbs into his lap, it doesn't matter. She's going to get what she wants anyway. Jinki places his hands securely on her hips and lets them dip to her ass, her dress slowly crawling up but neither making an attempt to pull it down. 

When it crawls up too far Jinki slips his hands under and cups her asscheeks with his cold hands. Gwiboon shivers at the touch and lets her mouth trail to his jawline. She presses kisses over it and Jinki lets his head back on the head rest, giving her as much access as he possibly can. Gwiboon can feel the arousal pool in her lower abdomen again and she can feel it soak through her underwear. Jinki can apparently feel it too because he pants and spreads her asscheek but doesn't make any motion to unzip his pants. 

“I don't have any condoms,” he whispers to her in the car and she reaches towards her purse on the passenger seat. 

“I do.” Gwiboon never leaves for the club unprepared but she was not expecting to use on on Jinki tonight. She was supposed to forget him and here she is, about to fuck him sober. He groans when she shifts on his lap and Gwiboon's leans back, only to hit the horn again. They both jump and then laugh. Jinki's laughter is just as intoxicating as his tongue and Gwiboon kisses him again, no hidden intentions. 

She scoots to his knees, careful not to touch the horn as she unzips her pants. Jinki gasps as the cold air hit his skin. He lifts a little, wiggles his pants down enough so he can free his semi-hard erection and Gwiboon grasps it with skilled fingers and lets her hand run up and down it. Jinki caresses her ass and moans. Gwiboon feels his hand covering hers and flicking her hand in a twisting motion, the girl soon learning what pleases him even more and he lets his head fall back with another moan. Gwiboon is high on being taught how to give him the best handjob and she can feel her own arousal. 

“Fuck,” he says and uses the hand that has earlier taught hers to slip under her dress and press the fabric against her clit. Gwiboon moans at the contact, momentarily forgetting to move her hand on his dick in her own pleasure. Jinki removes the fabric so he can slip a finger in and starts a slow rhythm that has Gwiboon going crazy. 

“More,” she pants into his neck and Jinki slips in another finger and then another and Gwiboon twists her hand just right on his dick. 

“I want you,” he whispers against her neck and Gwiboon moans at the shiver it sends down her spine. She nods and lets go of his dick before she tears the condom package open and rolls it over him. Jinki is holding the fabric out of her way as she slides onto his dick in a mutual moan. The fabric of her g-string rubs comfortably against her slick folds as she lifts up and sinks down. Jinki sinks forward, mouthing at her bare shoulder, creating a new hickey mere centimeters from the first had been located. Gwiboon is moaning with every movement. 

This position hits right where it pleasures her the most and she rests her hands on the seat behind Jinki to help her movements. Jinki slips the dress strap off of shoulder and gently eases the dress over her breasts so he can nibble at the skin there. The action only has Gwiboon moaning louder. The car windows get fogged as Gwiboon rides Jinki and their breaths turn ragged. 

They're both nearing their climax and their lips find each other again. The kiss is sweet, sweeter than any kiss they have ever shared before and if it wasn't because Gwiboon was so close to her orgasm it would have scared her. Now, as they reach their climax together, it doesn't bother her at all. They're both sweaty when they part and Gwiboon lifts off of Jinki and arranges her underwear and her dress correctly. Jinki takes off the condom and fixes his pants but Gwiboon stays in his lap. 

They're looking at each other until it hits them that they've just had sex for a second time without really knowing each other and Gwiboon blushes and climbs into her seat. 

“You can take me home now,” she says and hopes she's not too harsh on him. Jinki just starts the car but doesn't say anything. They're driving in silence, Gwiboon's mind spinning with all the thoughts that occupy it. This was stupid. They were not supposed to have sex. They were not supposed to meet again. She was supposed to forget him. Is it even a one night stand when they were half-sober in a car and they've done it before? 

She sighs deeply and turns to look out of the windows when it hits her that she hasn't told Jinki her address. Now she's not sure she wants to. It isn't that she thinks he might find her. He isn't that kind of guy. If he was he would have been looking after her. If he was he wouldn't have cooked her breakfast the first time. She turns to look at him but he is staring at the road, focusing on the few cars that are still out at 4.30 in the morning. She figures she really needs to tell him her address if she doesn't want to end up in his bed again and she's not sure she can handle the shame waking up to him tomorrow. 

Gwiboon gives him the address and Jinki asks her to show the way because he can't be bothered to put it in the GPS. Gwiboon says she can do it and Jinki shakes his head and says that her giving directions is easier. Gwiboon isn't completely sure about that but she doesn't say anything. She directs him around the area until she begins recognizing it and when they finally park in front of her apartment complex she turns to look at him embarrassed. He doesn't look embarrassed in the least. In fact he looks amazing. He looks so good that Gwiboon has to restrain herself so she doesn't lean over and press their lips together again. That wouldn't be good. 

She thanks him for driving her home and when she locks herself into the apartment she hurries to the window to see if the car is still in the parking lot. It isn't. She sighs and sinks to the floor and lets her puppies cuddle her. This is not good.

 

xxx

 

Gwiboon is positive that life hates her when she a few weeks later run into Jonghyun during a gathering with her own friends. She learns that he's a friend of Jonghun’s whose a friend of Minwoo’s and Gwiboon hopes he doesn't recognize her. But she realizes quickly enough that Jonghyun hasn't forgotten about her and that he definitely remembers her for the night she called Jinki to help Taeyeon home. At least she hopes Jinki hasn't told them about their slip-up in the car. Soyu looks at her offended. 

“I didn't know you were dating,” she says and Gwiboon wants to hide. Instead she takes a swig of her beer. 

“I'm not.” Her gaze clearly says ‘let's talk later’ but Soyu doesn't get the hint and Jonghyun, for some reason, decides that their conversation is more interesting than the boys’. Gwiboon can see him trying to hide his eavesdropping but it isn't working. 

“So who is Jinki?” Gwiboon sighs deeply and bites her lower lip. 

“A guy I fucked once.” She hopes Jonghyun doesn't know about the first time. If he decides to chime in with a comment, she's doomed. But Jonghyun doesn't say anything. The conversation dies down when Gwiboon answers in short sentences and Soyu gets tired of interrogating her about a guy she clearly doesn't want to be interrogated about. Gwiboon turns to the boys and their conversation and takes another beer. 

They're sitting on campus, getting drunk on the big grass field in front and playing some ridiculous beer game that Hongki had decided on and Gwiboon feels her stomach cramp with laughter when said man is too drunk to run around the beer bottle and tips it into the grass, only to whine about his precious golden liquid. And then Jonghyun waves to a couple of people a couple of meters away and Gwiboon instantly freezes. What is he doing here? 

Minjung grabs his hand and drags him towards the group of students and Gwiboon hates herself for being here in the first place. She doesn't want to meet him. She's still supposed to forget him. He was a one night stand. Two night stand. Whatever. He's nothing and he's not supposed to be here. 

Minjung plops down next to Jonghyun and pecks his cheek and Gwiboon widens her eyes. Jinki sits down and keeps his eyes away from her. It annoys her just a tiny bit. If she hasn't been able to forget him, he shouldn't have been able to forget her either. She sighs and starts picking the grass when someone joins her. She only sees the hand, picking grass but she knows it's him and she doesn't know what to say to him. They've never really spoken to each other excluding the awkward introduction after their first night. Gwiboon isn't really embarrassed about that time. She's more embarrassed about her own feelings and how he keeps making her stomach twist when it definitely shouldn't be twisting. 

“Hey,” he says. 

“Hi,” she mirrors and keeps adding grass to their growing pile. He stops her and she looks up in surprise. Jinki is smiling. It has her heart beating faster. Gwiboon hates herself. 

“My name is Jinki,” he says genuinely and she frowns. Does he think she doesn't know that? But his smile stays in place and Soyu is looking at them so Gwiboon does her best to send him a small smile as well. 

“I’m Gwiboon.” She stares at him and he looks at her back before he takes her hand and shakes it gently. 

“Nice to meet you.” The words have a smile forming on Gwiboon's lips and she can't help it when she snickers. It's not like they're meeting for the first time really but she supposes they did skip all formal introduces and went straight to the sex. 

“Nice to meet you too.” Gwiboon silently and gently frees her hand from Jinki's. It's not that she doesn't want to hold his hand. She really does because her heart is acting like it's absolutely stir-crazy. But she can't get herself to hold it, even if she wants it. She doesn't want to seem as more when they are technically meeting for the first time. She bites her lower lip and starts picking the grass again when someone walks passed her and empties half their beer over her. Gwiboon squeaks and jumps from the grass in anger to find the perpetrator but she cannot spot them. She stinks of beer and her clothes are all wet. 

“Fucker,” she mutters and indicates to Soyu that she'll be going to the bathroom. She's going to stink for the rest of the day now. She might as well go home but something in her doesn't want to go home. Maybe it's because Jinki is there. No. It's definitely not because of Jinki. Gwiboon hurries into the bathroom on campus. 

She's sighing at her reflection in the mirror, her white top stained with the golden liquid and sort-of transparent and her hair is sticky like her skin. She sighs deeply and lets the water run. She's trying her hardest to get the stain and the sticky mixture that only gets more sticky as time passes by off and when someone knocks on the door she has to accept defeat. 

Gwiboon is convinced it's Soyu that's coming to help her but the voice outside the door has her freezing. 

“Need help?” Jinki asks and Gwiboon wants to scold him for entering the female bathroom until she remembers that they have gender neutral toilets and she's in one of those. Dammit. 

“Eh…” she says and opens the door, skin wet with water and beer, her top a mix of transparent from water and beer and her hair sticking to her sides. She doesn't look that appealing. Jinki sends her a cute smile and steps inside with her before he locks the door after him. He can't possibly want to fuck her while she looks like this, she thinks but Jinki only goes to the sink, wets a napkin and starts gently caressing her cheek slowly. Gwiboon is pretty sure it doesn't get the sticky beer off of her. He looks at her fondly and she bursts out laughing. 

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” she says in between laughter. His face falls a little and Gwiboon waves her hand in front of her face to stop laughing. “It's not…” She laughs a little more and when she finally stops, there's a smile on Jinki's face too. “I don't really know you and now you're helping me because some idiot spilled their beer on me. You shouldn't have to do this, it's okay. I'll just leave and take a shower when I get home.” The smile she sends him is so genuine that he blushes a little. 

“It's okay!” he assures her. Gwiboon tilts her head. “I don't mind helping a lovely woman who got beer spilled all over her.” His words have Gwiboon blushing a little.

“Let's not …” she starts and he agrees before she even finishes the sentence. 

“Yeah, let's not.” They both nod in agreement before Gwiboon grabs a dry napkin and dries her face. They exit the bathroom together and Gwiboon shivers a little in her wet top. Jinki takes off his sweater and hands it to her without a word. In a t-shirt he looks divine. Gwiboon decides not to dwell on that. When they come back to the group, Hongki apologizes profusely to Gwiboon. She's pretty sure it wasn't him who spilled their beer on her, though. The mood is high as more people get drunk but Gwiboon stays a little away with Jinki.

“I'm 26 and I study Korean Language and Literature,” he says suddenly and Gwiboon blinks a little. Oh. They're doing real introductions. 

“I just turned 25 and I study interior design.” She usually doesn't tell people her major but she feels sort of obliged to do it now that Jinki has told her his. Jinki seems impressed. Gwiboon looks towards the grass again. “I'm sorry, I smell of beer and it's disgusting. I should get home.” She makes way to stand but Jinki stands with her and takes her hand. 

“It's okay, don't leave.” She looks towards their hands and then into his eyes. His request makes so little sense in her mind. She smells like a brewery and she looks ugly. She's not really talkative right now either and there's absolutely nothing fascinating or interesting about her. She's not even drunk and she doesn't want a one night stand. She doesn't want to bang him, no matter how good-looking he is in his t-shirt and no matter how many tingles their linked hands send to her stomach. He seems to get it when she doesn't answer and lets go of their hands. 

“I just wanted to get to know you.” Gwiboon feels her heart melt slightly and it's a strange feeling that she doesn't like one bit. 

“I'm not interesting,” she says a little too harshly and regrets it the minute his face falls. “Look, Jinki. We had amazing sex and I really appreciate you making breakfast but we’re a one night stand … or a two night stand or whatever. I'm not interesting and I'm not the girl who falls in love with my one night stands. I don't put emotions into sex. It's purely physical. I'm sorry if you were looking for more or thought I was special or something. I'm like all the other bitches in the clubs, not good for anyone and young and frivolous. And now I'll take my leave because I stink and my hair is all sticky. I'm sorry.” She leaves him with those words and doesn't say goodbye to her group of friends either.

 

xxx

 

Gwiboon buries the spoon in the ice cream and stares at her tv. She's been watching Bridget Jones 3 times already but she keeps repeating the movie while she eats ice cream. She hasn't been crying yet but every time Bridget gets her guy she wonders if she will ever get her guy and that's bad enough. She feels absolutely pathetic but girls are allowed to be pathetic on the first day of their periods and even without the cramps her emotions are all over the place. 

She texted Soyu to tell her that she wasn't going to go to the club with them for once and she's been eating ice cream and thinking about her prince on a white horse all night. Except she doesn't want it to be Jinki and he's the only person in her mind and it's driving her absolutely insane. She pops the spoonful of ice cream into her mouth again and replays the movie. Her puppies are sleeping on the other end of the couch, all cuddled up in each other and Gwiboon wants a boyfriend who can share this moment with her.

And then she pictures Jinki back hugging her while she eats ice cream and watches stupid chick flicks and feeds him at times and she hits her head annoyed. She has to stop thinking about Jinki. She can't help but wonder if she was too harsh on him however. Does she really want nothing with her one night stand this time? Does she really not have any feelings for him? She sighs and buries into the ice cream again, takes another bite and shivers as the cold makes its way down her throat. Maybe Gwiboon hopes it can dim every warm thought she has of him if she keeps eating ice but so far it hasn't worked. She keeps getting her phone to see if she has any texts but nobody texts her. Thoughts she's trying to ignore is telling her to write to Minwoo to ask for Jonghun’s number so she can ask for Jonghyun’s number and ask Jonghyun for Jinki’s number but that seems too desperate and she's not desperate. She just told him off. 

She cannot be the one to reach out to him, it's wrong. She has to bite the sour apple and stop thinking of him. It's the only way. Gwiboon stares at the dogs for what feels like an hour until she decides to say ‘fuck it’ and text Minwoo. Maybe he knows Jinki's number as well. 

Minwoo doesn't know Jinki's number but he does know Jonghun’s number and so he gives her that. He does ask what she needs it for but Gwiboon doesn't tell him. It's secrets, she says. Minwoo sends her a winking emoji and Gwiboon frowns. No way she's ever fucking Jonghun. Not even drunk. She's not going to tell Minwoo that though. 

Jonghun doesn't text her back in the evening and Gwiboon falls asleep on her couch, ice cream melting on her coffee table. She wakes up to a text message that apologizes and asks her what she wants. She gets Jonghyun's number three hours later when she's in class and her professor is strict so she can't text Jonghyun until another hour later. 

She's starting to regret when she texts Jonghyun and asks him if he knows what Jinki's number is and if she can have it because she needs to reach him. Jonghyun answers fast but his answer is disappointing.  _Sorry, can't give you his number_. Gwiboon didn't even know she could sulk this much. She also gets strangely annoyed at the other man. It's just a telephone number. Gwiboon isn't some stalker and she's not going to hunt down Jinki if she gets his number. Now she might have to hunt him down otherwise because some dick won't give her his number. There's nothing to do, Jonghyun stands on this and he doesn't give Jinki's number to Gwiboon. The only good thought she can think is ‘at least he's a loyal friend’. It does pose several complications for Gwiboon because she really wants to apologize for what she said. She didn't mean it. Or maybe she did in her fear but she doesn't want to avoid Jinki. She knows that for sure now. She still hasn't figured out why. 

 

xxx

 

She's running late when she crashes directly into Jinki in the hallways. She doesn't understand how she's never met him before on campus but she supposes there's a lot of people in her university. Jinki extends his hand to help her up until he realizes that it's Gwiboon and then slowly retracts his hand. Gwiboon feels her heart break at that gesture. 

“Jinki,” she calls after him as he turns to leave. He doesn't stop. She quickly gathers her things and hurries after him, her boots making click-clack noises on the tiled floor. “Jinki!” He still doesn't stop. Gwiboon even thinks he picks up his pace to avoid her. When she finally grabs his arm it's with a “yah, Lee Jinki!” He turns around to face her and his gaze is blank. There's no emotion in his eyes. He could be hating her and she wouldn't even know. 

“What?” he asks, his voice neutral. Gwiboon wishes he would show some emotions. 

“I'm sorry about what I said that day.” It feels horribly wrong to apologize days after it happened when it should have been almost immediately. Or at least only a couple of hours after she said it. He doesn't show any emotion on his face at her apology. 

“No, you were right. Nobody expects more from their one night stands, I get it. Don't you have someone else you need to fuck this weekend? I bet there's a lot of guys who would want to get in your pants.” She blinks in complete shock and her grip loosens enough for him to pull completely away. He doesn't leave her, just waits for her to talk again. She didn't mean it like that. She never did. Was she really that harsh? 

“I … Jinki …” She can't even talk and Jinki sends her a gaze so stern it has her shrinking. When the words really sink in, she can feel anger bubble up, slowly streaming through her body. He has no reason to be mad when he just insinuated that she's a slut that sleeps with different men every weekend. And sure, Gwiboon is no saint but she certainly isn't careless like that. “How dare you call me a slut?” she asks. 

“Isn't that what you said? Sex is only physical. No emotions involved.” There's a pause. “That you're like all the other bitches in the club?” His words have Gwiboon seeing red, even if he's just saying what she said days ago. She turns around on her heel, convinced she hates him more than anything and that she'll forget about him. He was nothing to her anyway. He was nothing but a man. A dick she wanted. She does not care for him. 

 

xxx

 

Gwiboon lives off of her anger the next 2 days until she realizes that she said all those things about herself and that Jinki did nothing but recite them. She can't stay mad at him when Friday rolls around and it's bad that she can't stay mad at him because then her guilt starts eating at her. She said all those things. And then thoughts and dreams of Jinki start occupying her guilty mind and it's more than she can take. 

So she gets drunk Friday evening. She barely even remembers her name and she flirts with everybody, man or woman (maybe a stray cat at one point, Gwiboon isn't sure) and she's hanging over the bar when someone grabs her shoulders. She can't recognize the voice, she can barely feel her legs and she definitely doesn't remember how she even ended up at the bar. All she knows is that someone is supporting her into the cold night air. 

She guesses it's 7 in the morning but it's still dark so maybe it's only 5. She stumbles into the backseat of a car and doesn't even care if she's getting kidnapped. It could be anything, anyone and Gwiboon wouldn't know or care. 

She follows the person, male she thinks, up some stairs and into the elevator and when the elevator takes off she feels her inside turn and spill out. She vomits onto the floor of the elevator and she thinks she may be dying so she tells her savior that while the tears stream down her cheeks. She's crying when someone lays her on a couch and she crumbles in on herself. She's a fucking idiot. She keeps crying when someone strokes her hair and finds a cold wash cloth to put onto her forehead. Gwiboon falls asleep crying. 

When Gwiboon wakes up the next morning she feels her insides turning and the stomach acid work its way through her esophagus before she even opens her eyes. She's vomiting and it isn't until she's done and she opens her eyes that she notices that someone placed a big plastic bucket for her to vomit into. Then her headache makes her shut her eyes again and she groans of pain. Fuck. She doesn't even know where she is. 

10 minutes later she tries opening her eyes again but the pain is still sharp. She's groaning when she recognizes the glass of water and the two pain killers. Bless whoever she's with. Then she stalls. She wasn't drinking with anyone yesterday, she was drowning her sorrows alone. It's not Soyu’s apartment and it isn't Minwoo’s either. Then she notices a shadow in her peripheral view and she stretches her neck despite the pain to see who it is. When she recognizes the man in the pajama pants and a white t-shirt she gasps. Fuck fuck fuck. Why is she at Jinki’s? She tries to hide under the blanket but it only makes her groan when her headache sets in again. 

“You're awake?” he asks and Gwiboon contemplates faking sleep but then she realizes he might have heard her vomit and she just nods weakly. Jinki sits on the couch and frowns when he looks into the bucket and notices her vomit. She smiles sheepishly when they get eye contact. “Eat the pain killers, they'll help on your hangover.” Jinki leaves the couch with the bucket to clean it up and Gwiboon tries to sit up so she can drink the glass of water and swallow the two pain killers. 

The pills almost get stuck in her throat and she coughs which only adds onto her banging headache. She doesn't even have the energy to wonder how she ended up here but she knows that it's not a good thing. She is still guilty for the things she said and she still really dislikes his attitude towards her. Gwiboon is not really sure about her feelings anymore and it's all just such a mess. Being here and being hungover is definitely two things that don't go together. And then she realizes that she cannot remember last night. It's one big black hole in her memory. She groans in frustration and hides under the blanket when Jinki comes back into the living room. 

“You should eat,” he says and the words has it twisting in her stomach so she pulls the blanket down just enough so she can glare at him. 

“Your breakfast worked the first time but I don't want to vomit anymore, okay, so I'm skipping breakfast.” Jinki just shrugs and hands her a cold wash cloth and she sticks it to her forehead in a pathetic way and climbs under the blanket again. She can hear him chuckle but nothing about her hangover is funny and she can't help herself when she frowns under the blanket. The smell of breakfast waft from the kitchen and she doesn't want to admit it when her stomach growls in need of something. Gwiboon doesn't know how long it's been before she lets the blanket fall from her head and instead wraps it around her as she gets on shaky legs and slowly moves towards the kitchen. Jinki is reading a book at the table while he eats a grilled sandwich that has Gwiboon's mouth watering. 

“Got hungry anyway?” He doesn't even look up when he addresses her and she jumps a little in the blanket before she nods. She figures that if he doesn't need to look at her to see that she has arrived he doesn't need to look at her to figure out that she wants food. He doesn't. Jinki points towards the counter where a soup is waiting. Gwiboon frowns. 

“I want your food,” she sulks and sits down in front of him, her headache showing itself at the action. She clutches her head before she flops all over the table and gives up. Jinki pats her head. “Why are you so nice to me?” she asks and Jinki shrugs a little when he hands over the last half of his sandwich. Gwiboon looks at it, shrugs and then starts eating. Her stomach makes equal scary and satisfied noises. She's not sure she'll be able to keep it inside or if it'll get back out when she finishes. She nips at the food in such small bites that she has Jinki looking up and raising an eyebrow. 

“I thought you were hungry?” he says and Gwiboon sends him the best glare she can muster with a killer hangover. 

“I am. I'm just making sure I'm not going to vomit. You know, that's not very nice so I would like to avoid that.” Jinki just chuckles at her answer and flips a page in his book. They sit in silence while Gwiboon nips at his sandwich. The more she eats, the less dangerous the threat of vomiting seems and she starts looking around in his kitchen. Last time she was here, she was trying to get out as fast as possible to avoid an awkward morning-after encounter and now she's so hungover she can't even remember what the did the night before. It's not exactly because she has good memories here so far. The kitchen is light. It doesn't really look like a single 26-year olds and she even notices a couple of fresh herbs in one corner. They all look healthy and she admires him a little. She can't keep a plant alive to save her life. 

Then she directs her attention to the man across her. Jinki is wearing rounded glasses and his clothes look like his sleepwear. 

“What are you reading?” she asks and he holds up his book. Gwiboon squints at the title until she recognizes it. “I've read that.” She blinks a little and he blinks at her over the book. 

“You have?” She is only a little offended that he seems surprised. Gwiboon nods. She likes Oh Junghee’s books. 

“Yeah. I like it. How do you like it so far?” She's never heard of a man reading River of Fire but maybe Jinki enjoys it. He did something alike for his major. Gwiboon can't really remember in her hangover but she knows for sure that it was something that had to do with books. 

“I like it. It's interesting. I didn't know you had literary interests.” This time Gwiboon is full-on offended and she pouts at him and gets up, blanket draped around her body as she goes through his cupboards to find a cup. When she can't find it she gives up and turns around to look at him.

“Where are your cups?” Jinki puts his book down and gets up so he can get a cup. He's standing behind her and reaching up in the cupboard right above her and Gwiboon can feel his heat on her back and her heart speeds up. Uh oh. This is not good. When he hands the cup over she snaps it from him and fills it with water that she downs immediately. Downing a cup of water is not a good idea when hungover though and Gwiboon soon learns that when she hugs the toilet bowl, vomiting a liquid solution into the white porcelain. The tears are streaming down her cheeks. 

“I'm so sorry!” She hiccups and cries and Jinki sits on the floor beside her so he can pat her back. There's an awkward silence between them while she cries. “Will you take me home?” She sniffles and sobs a little before she decides that she's done being vulnerable in front of her maybe-she's-not-sure crush. Jinki just nods a little before he gets off of the floor and goes to get dressed. Gwiboon only then realizes she's wearing a large hoodie of Jinki's and not the skimpy dress she was wearing when she left to get drunk yesterday. She's not even sure she dares ask why she's wearing the hoodie and where her dress is. Jinki beats her to it though. 

“Keep the hoodie on. You're going to freeze.” He's standing in the doorway, a pair of slacks on instead of the pajama pants. She blinks a little and wipes her cheeks before she nods. 

“Thanks…” The drive back to Gwiboon's apartment is silent and she's fumbling with the sleeves of the hoodie, her hands disappearing in the fabric. She feels so small. So incredibly small. But she doesn't want to make herself visible either. Not here in Jinki's car. The flashback to the day they had sex in the car flashes before her and she shrinks into the seat. Not now. Bad timing, bad timing. 

She clutches her head and hopes it translates into just being hungover. As he parks and Gwiboon slinks out of the car seat, she says another thanks before she slams the door and disappears as fast as she can. This time she doesn't look out of the window to see if he's still there. 

 

xxx

 

Gwiboon doesn't see him in the next two weeks and midterms come closer which means Gwiboon becomes extremely busy with her final semester project. She barely even thinks of him and it has her thrilled. Maybe she really is getting over him and maybe it was nothing but a small crush of something she didn't know what was. Maybe it had just been the fact that she had actually spotted a hot guy to fuck and still found him hot when she sobered up. She's running towards the library to get the book she needs before it closes and she's short on time. 

That means she has 10 minutes to get there, find the book, borrow it and get out again. Gwiboon is not good with very little time. It's also raining a little and it makes everything worse. But she can't wait over the weekend to get the book if she wants to finish her project on time so the only thing she can do is sprint. On her way inside she meets Minjung who raises an eyebrow at the rain. 

“Why in such a hurry?” she calls after Gwiboon and Gwiboon stops right inside the doors so she cal shout back to Minjung. 

“I need to get this book.” Minjung turns around and joins Gwiboon in the door and sends her a smile. 

“What book?” When Gwiboon sends her a skeptic glance she tilts her head. “I worked as a librarian here for the entire last year. Let me help you find it.” She walks inside the library and Gwiboon gapes after her. She would have never imagined that Minjung who likes soccer and clubbing would have been a librarian. It's possibly not the first time Minjung has gotten that reaction because she starts laughing and grabs Gwiboon's wrist so she can drag the shorter girl into the library with her. “What is the title then?” she asks when they're inside and the door has closed behind them. Gwiboon rambles the title off of her and Minjung nods and drags her through aisle after aisle. 

Gwiboon swears she would have never found the book in time had it not been for Minjung because when Minjung hands her the book there are 3 minutes before the library closes Gwiboon can't even figure out which way to got for the desk. The two girls step outside just as the librarian locks the front door behind them and Minjung turns to Gwiboon. 

“Hey, do you want a cup of something hot?” It takes Gwiboon by surprise because she doesn't really consider herself Minjung's friend. They've met twice and they've been drunk together but it doesn't really count as being friends and Gwiboon barely knows Minjung. She realizes that now. There's so much more to people. She nods anyway and accepts the offer and lets Minjung lead her to a small café. Gwiboon warms her hands on a cappuccino while Minjung sips on her green tea. They're quiet but the atmosphere is comfortable. The rain is getting harder and they can hear it hitting the windows of the café. The street lights are on and making sure the city is not too dark. At times a person hurries by to find shelter from the rain. 

“So…” Minjung starts and Gwiboon has an awful premonition. Please don't let this be about Jinki, she begs. “You're with Jinki, eh?” Gwiboon wants to facepalm into the table but she doesn't. She shakes her head. Now he's crawling back into her mind and it annoys her because she had just forgotten him. 

“No.” Minjung widens her eyes at that. 

“No?” There's an awkward silence between the two women. Gwiboon slowly shakes her head. 

“No,” she confirms. Minjung shrugs a little and takes a large sip of her green tea and scalds her tongue. Her words has put Gwiboon deep in thought though. If Jinki's friends think they're together he must have said something, right? He would have denied it if they asked him because they are definitely not together. Gwiboon doesn't even know his number and the last time she spoke to him she was hungover. So they're definitely not together. 

“Sorry, I must've been assuming.” Gwiboon puts her hand on Minjung's arm. 

“Did he say something?” she asks and Minjung looks at her with a puzzled expression. Gwiboon is not sure why she wants to know so badly. She was supposed to forget him. Minjung just shakes her head and calls it a mistake of her own. Jinki hasn't said anything. Gwiboon can't forget it though. He must have said something. Why would Minjung think they were together if he hasn't said anything? What did she even say that night when she was piss drunk? If she even said anything. She doesn't know. She had been okay with not knowing but now she starts wondering. It gives her a small headache and she finishes her cappuccino, well-knowing that it won't help and says goodbye to the other girl. 

Her puppies curl into her side when she lays in bed that night. Her wet hair is resting on her pillow and Gwiboon is staring into the ceiling. She wants to talk to Jinki about what happened that night but it's been two weeks and he probably doesn't even remember. But how can she be sure if she doesn't talk to him. She still doesn't know how to get in touch with him and it makes talking a lot harder. Maybe it's better if she doesn't talk to him. She's been embarrassing herself enough. She sighs and turns to pet the small puppy on her left side and it whines and shifts so it can be petted on its stomach. 

 

xxx

 

The bass is pumping and Gwiboon is looking out at the dance floor from the bar. She promised Soyu to go to the club with her but she's been nursing a beer all night and it's still half full. She was supposed to be the sober friend but seeing the way Soyu flirts with a guy, she has a feeling that she won't have anyone but herself to assist home. She doesn't mind that, though. Her mind has been on her final project that she handed in 12 hours before. They're supposed to be celebrating handing in their final projects for this semester but Gwiboon isn't in the mood for celebration. She keeps thinking that something is off. She could've done better. Her supervisor had loved her idea but she doesn't think she managed to pull it off. 

It's in her misery that she spots him. He's dancing with another girl and the flare of jealousy in her stomach is completely new to her. She's off of her chair and on the floor in a flash, grabbing his shirt to pull him away from the girl. He sends her a wide grin.

“Gwiboon!” he says in excitement and extends his arms as if to give her a hug. Gwiboon just glares at him and pulls him towards the bar. 

“How fucking drunk are you?” She can smell the mix of alcohol on his breath when he leans a little too close and he smiles again. His smile makes her weak but she can't lose herself. 

“Piss-drunk!” He extends his arms to prove just how drunk he is and Gwiboon wants to facepalm. This is not good. 

“Who are you with?” She looks around to see if she can see either Jonghyun, Minjung or Taeyeon but none of them are there. At least not where she can spot. He leans on her shoulder and almost knocks her over in the process. Gwiboon pushes him a little from her so she can get her hand around his waist. 

“Nobody!” This reminds her far too much of her own disaster. “I'm celebrating my failed final project!” He laughs as if it's the world's funniest thing and Gwiboon's heart softens a little. 

“Let's get you home, you fool.” Jinki puts his arms around her and lets her guide him out of the club and onto the pavement. He's not vomiting but he's going to have a killer headache tomorrow. Maybe she can give him back what she did for him 2 weeks ago. The thought has her feeling quite good. She's not really that good of a cook but pizza usually works for her hangovers so maybe it works for his too. 

Balancing herself on her heels and a drunk Jinki is difficult. It gets even more difficult when he decides that he can walk on his own and starts slinging and she has to grab his arm to keep him from walking onto the road. She places him on a bench and tells him sternly to stay there and not move at all before she comes back. 

Hailing a cab at 3 in the morning is more difficult than she had expected it would be and when she turns to look back at the bench she realizes Jinki is gone. She stares, blinks a couple of times and hopes that maybe her vision is just playing her. But Jinki doesn't return to the bench when she blinks and she panics. She still hasn't gotten a cab for them and she fears the worst.

“Jinki?” Gwiboon calls into the night but doesn't get an answer. “Fucking hell, Jinki where the fuck are you?” She turns to look towards the road and her eyes widen comically. “Jinki!!!” She hurries as fast as she can and only grabs him onto the pavement again when a car drives by, horn honking angrily of the two young people on the sidewalk. “What the fuck were you thinking?!” Gwiboon yells at him, angry and afraid at the same time. The man just sends her a dazzling smile and holds up his hand. In it, he holds a white, dirty balloon. 

“Balloon, Gwiboonie. Balloon Boonie.” And then he starts laughing like a maniac and Gwiboon can't stop the smile that slips onto her lips even if she's trying hard. It was a dangerous situation for a stupid balloon but Jinki looks at her with so much fondness every time he says ‘balloon boonie’ and she really wishes she was a stronger person in his presence. It's definitely annoying her how he affects her. When he calms down he embraces her unexpectedly and Gwiboon yelps in surprise.

“Jinki...” she tries but he’s holding onto her like she's his life line. Maybe she is in this exact moment. “Let's go home.” She pats his back a little awkwardly until he lets go and when she notices that he's been crying, she lets her thumb gently remove the tear from his cheek. It's annoyingly easy to get the next cab and because Gwiboon really doesn't know Jinki's address she brings him to her own apartment. He's half-asleep when they arrive, his head resting on her and he's extremely difficult to navigate when he doesn't help at all. 

“Step,” she says and Jinki lifts his foot so he doesn't fall on the step. “Step,” she repeats and Jinki repeats his motion. She continues with her steps and he obeys her orders as they climb the stairs to her apartment. When she unlocks the door she has momentarily forgotten the puppies that instantly dashes out of her front door and barks their welcome. Jinki waves his hand over his ear and tries to get the noise away. Gwiboon shushes the dogs and calls for them to enter the apartment with them. 

Jinki is fast asleep on the couch when she finally plants him in it. The sleeping man is cuter than she had expected. It has her heart flipping and she does a circle on the spot in frustration. She was not supposed to fall for him. She leaves him on the couch and goes towards the bedroom to sleep when she feels sorry for him and turns around again. She takes off his shoes and fights to get his jeans off of him as well. 

When he finally looks sort of comfortable in his boxers and t-shirt, Gwiboon finds a blanket and drapes it over him. Gwiboon goes to bed afterwards. She wakes up to a hungry puppy licking her face and gets out of bed. She doesn't even bother to wear her robe as she walks towards the kitchen naked. She has forgotten everything about the sleeping man on her couch until said man groans with his hangover and she turns around with a squeak. Gwiboon isn't embarrassed about being naked, but she was not really expecting a man in her apartment. 

Then she recalls last night and supposes he's too hungover to even care. She's wrong.

Jinki covers his eyes and asks her to please dress. Even in his hangover are his manners more important to him and Gwiboon can't help but be a little impressed. She doesn't really get dressed but she does wear underwear and her robe. She hands Jinki a cup of water and tells him to drink it slowly. He nods and sips at it. 

“Do you have food?” he asks in that raspy voice of his that Gwiboon has come to like so much. She stops herself there. She doesn't like it. Of course not. 

“Cereal, I think?” she answers and he chuckles a little, only to grasp his head. 

“What do you live off of?” He doesn't look very impressed when she brings him a small bowl of Special K. Gwiboon shrugs and sits down next to him. 

“Cereal.” Jinki starts eating slowly and Gwiboon remembers her pain killers and hurries to fetch them so he at least can deal with the headache. Time passes as he eats his cereal and Gwiboon turns on the tv, if anything just to look at it so she isn't staring at Jinki and he seems to appreciate the background noise too. 

“I'm sorry about yesterday if I did anything.” Gwiboon considers a quick moment if she should tell him about Balloon Boonie but then decides that it's going to be her blackmail if she ever needs that. Otherwise, she'll just treasure it as a memory. No reason to tell the man that he nearly got himself killed in traffic because of a balloon. 

“It's okay, you didn't do anything unforgivable.” He groans at that.

“As if that helps. I probably made a complete fool out of myself.” Gwiboon shakes her head and sends him a genuine smile.

“No, really, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're safe.” The silence between them is comfortable and it has Gwiboon's heart almost anticipating a kiss and that scares her a lot because she shouldn't be anticipating a kiss. Heck, she doesn't even want a kiss. She can't help the sharp intake of breath when he looks at her and the way her body freezes up. Jinki pokes at her. 

“You okay?” he asks and Gwiboon breathes out, unaware that she has been holding her breath before she nods. 

“Yeah, I'm fine.” When Jinki is about to leave, Gwiboon decides there's only one way to not make a fool out of herself again if she ever meets him drunk. It's to be drunk with him. She hands him her phone and he raises an eyebrow. 

“Your number?” she says. He blinks a little. “So I can call you the next time I get drunk or so you can call me the next time you get drunk.” It makes him smile a little and he types in his number. As Gwiboon closes the door behind him, she dances around in a circle and squeals in silence. Then she remembers that she doesn't have a crush on him and that this is not a good thing. This is a bad thing. Logically speaking it would be better if she deleted his number but Gwiboon is not going to do that. 

 

xxx

 

Gwiboon yawns and turns on the other side. It's far too late to be awake but it's a weekend and she's texting Jinki so she can't help it. She smiles at her phone before she remembers that this is not a crush and schools her expression into a serious one. Then he sends her a joke and she bursts out laughing. Her puppy looks up to look at her as if to say that she's too far gone and she sticks her tongue out towards it. 

Talking with Jinki is fun. It's not what she expected it would be after their one night stand but it seems that Jinki has taken it upon himself to forgive her of her mistakes. It doesn't really feel fair that he's the one sacrificing but Gwiboon can't really figure her own emotions out so for now she just enjoys his company and talking to him. She rolls onto her back and smiles at the ceiling. She's not in love but Jinki is great company. The notification from her phone has her looking at it immediately but it's just another text from Soyu. She sighs and ignores it in the hope of another text. 

Her friends have started complaining that she's hard to reach these days and she doesn't understand why they say that when she's practically on her phone all the time until she realizes that the only texts she answers are Jinki's. She apologizes to Minwoo after he calls her three times to ask whether or not she has gotten her grade for her final project. 

Gwiboon is nearly about to die when she logs onto the school's website to check her grade if it has arrived. She has her eyes closed as she presses enter and she counts to 100 before she opens her eyes. On the screen is a new A. Gwiboon blinks. Tries to make sure that it really is true, that she really managed to get an A. Then she shouts so loud that she interrupts the dogs and they bark at her. Gwiboon is dancing around in her apartment. She doesn't even think when, instead of texting, she calls Jinki to tell him the good news. 

“Jinki!” she says as soon as he picks up. “I got an A!” His laughter makes her smile even wider. “Come on, we have to celebrate!” Jinki, rather reluctant, agrees to that and Gwiboon tells him that she will treat him to a meal. That kind of celebration has him perking up and they agree to meet up later in the evening for their celebration. It isn't until she hangs up that she remembers that she forgot to ask if he had passed his final project.

 

Gwiboon doesn't have any clothes. Her closet is empty because all her clothes are spread out on her bed. It's getting too cold for the dresses without tights underneath and they're usually her club wear. She doesn't really want to look like she's ready to hit the club when she meets up with sJinki. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt feels too casual though. Her white top could have been useful had it not still smelled of beer. She has to get rid of that somehow. She sighs before she calls Soyu and whines about her lack of clothes. 

When Soyu asks if she has a date, Gwiboon freezes. No. It's not a date. They're just going out to celebrate her amazing grade. As friends. Nothing more. Definitely not more. Gwiboon wasn't even looking for a relationship, she was looking for a hook-up. A friend is more than she could have ever wished for. In the end, she decides on a pair of skinny jeans and cuts the sleeves off an old t-shirt to look it more fancy. She makes the collar deeper too, if anything just to show off her collarbones. It's definitely not to show off her cleavage or her black lace bra. Not at all. Gwiboon doesn't really want sex out of tonight. They're friends. They should stop having sex. She's positive Jinki agrees with her about that. 

She arrives at the restaurant 10 minutes too early but she's too shy to wait inside so she wraps her arms around her and stands in the cold. Gwiboon is usually running a couple of minutes late because of her flawless make-up but for some reason she was ready 25 minutes before she even had to leave. She blames her good grade and the food they're about to devour. As friends. 

Jinki arrives 5 minutes late and apologizes profusely. She waves it off as nothing although she's freezing a lot. They're grilling the meat, the warmth from the restaurant slowly seeping into her and she starts to relax. Jinki looks even better when he eats meat and it's a realization Gwiboon shouldn't have had. She scolds herself inwardly for even noticing that. Jinki folds a lettuce wrap and holds it towards Gwiboon, only to pull it away from her last minute and eat it himself. She blinks before she reaches over to grab a piece of meat on his plate. She smirks when he gapes at her. 

Somewhere in between first and second serving do they order a bottle of soju. Neither of them is supposed to get drunk but it fits their celebration. And it's only one bottle, hardly enough to get drunk of. She leans forwards when he grabs a piece of meat with his chopsticks and steals it. She's laughing at his expression and forgets to cover her mouth and that has Jinki laughing too. They're carefree and the world could matter less in these moments.

Gwiboon is a little tipsy when they exit the restaurant and she is clutching onto Jinki's arm for support. He's warm and sturdy and Gwiboon can almost feel her heart beat a little faster. That is if she was in love with him. She isn't though. Just friends. 

Jinki smiles at her and guides her through the streets until the reaches a small stream. Gwiboon didn't even know it was there. It's beautiful in the darkness and she almost thinks she can see the stars. Or maybe she's just fooling herself into thinking she can. Either way, it's a pretty stream. They're walking along it, Gwiboon balancing on the lines of the green stones that make the pavement. Jinki laughs at her when she almost loses her balance and she pouts at him. 

“It's not funny! I could be a circus princess, balancing on the tiny line up high.” She's looking at him and he chuckles and sends her a big smile.

“Of course you could!” Gwiboon nods at his agreement. She's just that good. He grabs her hand at one point but Gwiboon doesn't care about the intimacy of going along a stream hand in hand. They're friends and she's a circus princess dancing on tiny lines. 

Then she notices a playground a little further ahead, let's go of his hand and runs ahead. Jinki pauses for a second before he charges after her. When he catches up with her he grabs her waist and spins her around. Gwiboon can feel the butterflies in her stomach but she dismisses them. Friends. They get eye contact when he sets her down and for a moment the world slows around them. 

She wants to reach up and kiss him but that would ruin everything so instead she convinces herself it was only her imagination when he was leaning closer and she starts giggling. Jinki soon joins her laughter and the two continues down the stream. Gwiboon is cold when he leads her back to his car. He has promised to drive her home so she doesn't have to take the subway even though Gwiboon had protested plenty of times. This time the silence of the car ride is pleasant. Comfortable. 

Gwiboon has a permanent smile plastered on her lips because she had fun. She doesn't understand why her heart is beating frantically or why she can't tear her eyes off of his profile. She doesn't really understand why his smile makes hers so much wider or so much warmer. But she does know that they're just friends and this was just a friendly outing. Together. Before she climbs out of the car she squeezes his hand and swears he leans closer again but ignores it. She thanks him for tonight and tells him to drive safely. She's already looking forward to their next friend-outing. 

 

xxx

 

They don't see each other during Christmas because Jinki spends time with his parents in their restaurant and Gwiboon leaves for Daegu so she can spend Christmas with her parents. She misses him when he's not there even if they text. It scares her a little how much he sometimes seems to know about her compared to what she knows about him but he's a really good listener so she must have been rambling. It doesn't make sense any other way. Her mother tells her to please set the table and Gwiboon does so. 

She's in an amazing mood until her father asks her if she has a boyfriend. He wants to know who she's constantly texting and why she's smiling at her phone all the time. Gwiboon denies and tells him that it's just a really good friend. They eat dinner and the topic isn't discussed again but it keeps going in her mind. Is he more than a good friend? But Gwiboon wasn't in love. Wasn't. But what is she has fallen in love? Was is past but has is present. She buries under the pillow and wants to text Jinki and ask him. She doesn't though. Friends don't ask friends awkward questions like ‘am I in love with you?’ 

She cannot fall asleep for hours, trying to figure out her feelings and when she finally does come to a conclusion she realizes this is not what she wanted at all when she had seduced him in the club that evening. This is way messier. 

Gwiboon tries not to text him for the remainder of the vacation. It's difficult but she doesn't want to have stronger feelings for a man she wasn't supposed to have any feelings for. Jinki definitely doesn't have any feelings for her. She sighs when he starts texting her less as well. So much for a good friendship. Gwiboon can't destroy it and it's better just to pull away if that's what she has to do. 

When she returns back to her apartment and back to campus for her last semester she hasn't spoken to Jinki for two days. Their conversations just die out. Gwiboon knows it's her fault for pulling out but she's not anywhere closer to not crushing on Jinki and now that she has acknowledged that she does indeed like him, she just doesn't feel like she can stay close to him. It just feels so wrong to lead him on or be led on when they're not supposed to be. Relationships don't develop from one night stands. She feels horribly alone at campus. 

Her classes are incredibly boring, all making sure she's ready for her last thesis and her last project and everything is focused solely on her graduation. Her friends seem to have withdrawn even if she knows they haven't and she's just plain unhappy. She can't even look for Jinki in the hallways because she's afraid of meeting his eyes. Gwiboon is not expecting it when she gets cornered a late afternoon in January in her school building by Jinki. He's looking at her, expression neutral and she shrinks a little in on herself. 

“Hey Jinki,” she says. She doesn't really know what she expects but it's not him leaning down to capture her lips. She's frozen in surprise until he lets go of her. There's a flicker of emotion over his eyes. 

“Hey Gwiboon,” he says and she blinks a little. 

“What was …?” She doesn't even get the question out before Jinki has an answer. 

“I like you. I liked you before we hooked up. I've seen you around on campus, prancing around like the beautiful lioness you are, always knowing what you want. And then when you went after me that night, I thought it was my luck. But you were so adamant about us being a one night stand and you never really believed we could be more. I don't know what changed your mind, but … Goddammit Gwiboon, eating dinner with you was the best day of my life so far. I like you and you deserve to know. Even if you still don't like me.” 

There's silence between them when Jinki finishes. Gwiboon isn't really sure what she should be saying. She likes him too but it's wrong. It's wrong. They shouldn't like each other. Jinki liked her before they even had a one night stand. Why did she never see him before that? Maybe they could have been more if she had known before. The thoughts are racing around in her mind and then she looks at Jinki. He looks insecure. It's obvious how he's trying to stay stoic but he has everything on line by doing this. Something stops when she looks into his eyes and sees his nervousness and instead of turning around and walking away like she maybe wants to the most, she leans onto her tiptoes and presses her lips against his. She tangles her hands in his hair and he lets his hands gently cup her hips as he relaxes into the kiss. 

“I like you too,” she whispers against his lips when she lets go. “I don't know where to go from this. This is hella scary, I never imagined a relationship but if there is someone I would try for, it would be you.” He sends her a blinding smile and she reciprocates it. “Consider yourself lucky. You got caught by the lioness.” Her words have Jinki laughing and they have Gwiboon smiling even wider.

In the end, she always gets what she wants. Even the things she isn't even sure she wants.

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive the smut. I have never written smut before, really. I always avoid it, haha. Thanks for reading. ^^


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